DIY Dress Form // Copying My Corseted Form for Victorian Dress Sewing

I am obsessed with this! May I ask how your form has held up?

Pls help Bernadette do the same so she stops killing herself trying to drape on herself xD

"this cardboard box, lemme just empty that out..." funniest flex

This makes me want to see a museum of dress forms made by people, showcasing not only the people, but how diverse body sizes and shapes really are!

I went from "I need this!" to "ok maybe not" really quickly through the course of this video BUT the end result is so cool! It's a lot of work but it shows, it's gorgeous and I'm sure this dress form will be super useful. Thanks for sharing! 😄 (and congrats on the play button!!)

I greatly appreciate the “let’s get plastered” and “she’s waisted” comments she made 😂

The casual insertion of the play button box just like “oh we just need the box let’s get rid of this here PLAY BUTTON I GOT” 😏

I did this in the 1980s with a kit from an ad in Threads magazine. That version had your partner use EMT scissors to cut the centre front and centre back open to liberate the model. A couple tips from that kit: use a felt tip marker to put horizontal registration lines before cutting to make it easier to get an accurate match. The kit had you use upholstery thread and an upholstery needle to sew the two sides together as soon as the model was out of the cast. Then you covered the cut lines, inside and out, with more plaster bandages to make a more secure join. I don't know how it would work with spray-on release agent but I used what was recommended to coat the inside of the cast prior to pouring the foam: green surgical soap. It was less viscous than dish soap and yet it was as effective as your combo in releasing the cast from the set foam. My waist ended up larger than my own waist--I don't know if that was coincidence or a common thing. I think I remember reading in the instructions that the body movements of breathing tends to lead to the waist enlarging. In any case, their suggestion was to buy a cheap horse hoof rasp or a coarse wood rasp to remove excess foam and stuck-on plaster quickly, then finish off with 180 grit sandpaper. I got so frustrated putting the knit cover over the foam that I got a large garbage bag, cut the end off and used it as a sort of sock over the form to slide the knit over. Once the knit cover was in place, all I had to do was pull the plastic bag out from under the knit cover and then do some wiggling of the cover to settle it properly in place. I let my (now ex) husband talk me into throwing that form away and I've regretted it ever since.

We used to make person-specific castings by putting them in a plaster soaked oversized T-Shirt. You then pull it tightly against their body and it sets up fast. Then again, that was the 80s and 90s and we didn't have easy access to plaster bandages.

You are truly a self-made woman now.

I was literally just saying on Bernadette's Worth gown video that she needs to find someone to help her make a custom dress form so she doesn't have to drape on herself anymore. And then here comes Morgan, with a whole video on how to make your own dress form! But also oh my gosh this is like insanely complex work! Morgan is so smart!

Love the no-excuses honesty of showing the whole process, pitfalls and oopsies included. That's so incredibly helpful to us.

As someone who has used all of these techniques numerous times as a special effects artist, I can honestly say you should be pretty proud of the results you got. That's a big, difficult project. It's good that you were pouring the foam outside, but don't stick your face in there while it's expanding. The off-gassing is TOXIC! It's releasing compounds related to cyanide.

‘They're my MY lumps and bumps.’ TOO RIGHT.

I wonder if this process would help Ms. Bernadette Banner....though she would need another pair of hands, His Lordship is just a bit too small

I have done four of these dress forms, and have never taken the time to do a video. My forms are from the neck down to about 3 inches of thigh, 3 " of shoulder, and one shoulder cut to armscye. I wanted to add a few tips gleaned through my efforts. (1) The less clothes on the person the better the form comes out. I used petals over the breasts and lowest profile underwear, lots of vaseline. (2) Change the water you are dipping the bandages in frequently, otherwise bandages may not activate (ask me how I know). (3) To get a cast that will require the least dinky doing around for size/fit, wrap around hips/crotch area completely, from the widest part of the hips down. Because you are at the widest part , once the cast hardens you can slip it down. Now, for everything above, divide down center front and center back. leave a 1" space the whole way. At the end of wrapping put single layer strips across center front and center back with about .5 " spacing. After it is dried, use nail polish and make marks that you can match up later. Cut down CF and CB and shimmy the cast off. Stuff cast with something so it dries with the correct shape, matching up your nail polish registration marks. (4)Processing the cast: After it has dried out, lightly sand to get rid of any petroleum jelly from the model. Rub down inside with Johnson paste wax. Don't put wax too close to CF, CB or openings. Close cast up down CF and CB, let dry. Rub paste wax up and down CF seams. You can still reach in up thigh holes or down the neck hole. After this is done and dry, time to close up the other holes. Take wax paper or cling film, cover the hole, put an elastic band (I actually sewed elastic) around it, cut off excess, and then cast over the hole leaving the neck hole the only one empty. On one of the thigh holes, only cover with one layer of casting material. Poke a hole in one of the thigh's casting material and put your pvc pole (or IV pole) through the thigh, to the neck. Plaster around thigh hole so that pole is pretty tight. I like having a pvc pole going from neck to thigh because I can mount the mannequin upside down to put pants on her. For this pole I divide the pole in the center so that there is a "stop" in the middle. Fill mannequin with foam as usual, some foam will come out thigh hole, put it will be minimal. (5) Fixing the foam mannequin: After you struggle taking off bandages, time to fix the mannequin. This was my biggest discovery, use FOAM PUTTY from Woodland Scenics, it behaves like a lightweight plaster, but dries like foam so that you can stick pins in it. My first mannequin I spent tons of time getting the mold just right, but no need to go crazy if you use this stuff - it's about 12$ for 16 ounces (plenty to fix your mannequin). I then paint her with a light colored paint, a few coats. I did make a mannequin cover, but find that being able to draw on her with Frixion markers and then steam away the marks is really helpful. Hopefully some of these tips will help some of you out.

III really wanna make one of these. D: Also.. that rope wrapping technique tho!!

Our youngest daughter just flipped out when I told her about this video. She has wanted a dress form for a long time and loves to DIY and science things so this seems right up her ally. I'm just hoping she doesn't try it at college and waits till she gets home and we can do out in the backyard and not her bedroom!!! Thank you.

that subtle flex with the silver playbutton WHILE promoting reusing things one already has... absolutely iconic, Lady Morgan

Plaster PSA: Do NOT pour plaster water down your drain!